Thoughts of a Reader
by dweedledoo
Summary: A collection of thoughts, constructive criticism, opinions and suggestions open to all writers out there writing FanFictions for the Divergent Trilogy. Ever wonder if you're story is actually any good? Or do you just think that you have some room for improvement for your stories? Well, then come inside this story for thoughts directly from a Divergent Fanfic Reader... Me!
1. Lotsa Love

Hey, everyone who is reading this!

I have decided to have some advice/suggestions out in the open for all you writers out there writing fanfictions for the Divergent Trilogy.

Don't hate on me though… for writing my opinion down for you guys to use as a reference when you're writing.

I know there is already a writer on fanfiction who has made something like this. And I assure you… I do not mean to steal her idea, and she already knows that I am doing something similar. :) (Her pen name is R Spark, if you want to see her story on what she thinks.)

So click the little NEXT button to start reading my series of… eh… how would I put this… constructive criticism. So please don't start hating on me for doing this… I'm not trying to offend all you writers out there; this is just some open information for you guys to help you improve your work.

In general… if you're looking for some way to make your work even better than it is already, then go ahead and read on!

**Disclaimer: I am not an editor. Nor am I a famous author. So if you think that my ideas suck, please feel free to write a review and/or PM me. **

**Lotsa Love, **

**Dweedledoo**


	2. Intros

Intros-

So many of you know that probably the most important part of your FanFic is the intro. (Of course… the summary is also very important.)

But the intro is a very important part never the less. Know why? Because the intro has to be able to captivate the reader into wanting to read more into your story.

For instace, I have read fanfictions that have beginnings that are really boring, because it's all explaining about important roles in the Abnegation Government, and blah, blah, blah.

So not a very good way to start off a fanfiction, because a lot of readers will be sitting there, falling asleep just on the first paragraph.

Or maybe they'll just be skipping the whole beginning, wanting to get to the more interesting parts.

Believe me, (coming from a reader…) another way not to want to read a certain part is when you are just repeating the same thing that is happening. Actually… let me rephrase that. When you are writing like 5 paragraphs (Okay so maybe that was a bit exaggerated…) about one certain thing that is happening.

Example: (I'm making this up on the spot… and this is an AU example.) Tris woke up on a very early morning for the first day of school. She went through her morning routine, and went to her closet to decide on what she was going to wear. First, she tried a grey baggy ensemble of a t-shirt and long pants, but she thought that the color was too dull. Then, she decided to try on some brightly colored dresses and 6-inch high heels, but she couldn't walk in them, so then…

Anyways, you get the point. It's really boring reading something that JUST DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.

So in general, if you want people to really love your writing, then make it interesting. One of the boldest parts in your FanFic SHOULD be the beginning. Why? Because that's one of the first things your readers will be reading. To be honest, I don't think that any of your readers will be starting on the 5th paragraph to start your story.

**SO… HATE ME. BUT PLEASE DO SO BY REVIEWING… I WANT TO GET BETTER TOO, YOU KNOW! So if you guys can just click that review button and write a comment, I will be so happy! Next category should be up soon. (Like… tomorrow morning? Really, it will be whenever I choose to wake up. So wish me luck!)**


	3. Plots

Plot-

This chapter is about the plot of your fanfiction.

To be honest, a lot of stories are not quite as good as others because there is a dull plot, and weak characters.

I'll talk about characters in the next chapter.

So. The plot. If you want your story to get a lot of likes, reviews, you have to have a good plot. Not some kind of boring thing that happens, like Tris breaking a nail or something, in which you have written a WHOLE ENTIRE STORY about.

Okay, so maybe no one has ever done that.

But you get the point.

If you're going to write a story that you want everyone to read, make your storyline stand out over everyone else's.

Make it unique.

For instance- why not try something no one else has done before?

That's when AUs (alternate universes) or OOCs (out of character) come in handy.

These two terms allow you to make a new world in your fanfiction that can use Veronica Roth's characters as a base, and you can change the characters a bit to make a new story.

If you're not feeling creative… well then I accept the fact that you want to make your story based on one of those overused themes.

Like the no-war stories, new initiates, truth or dares… those kinds of stuff.

But I'll tell you what. You can't just pretty much copy the whole story. I really like what TheZanyBookworm said on this topic.

TheZanyBookworm:

_1) Those fanfictions...where it's just like : Four is a mysterious, hot, badass beast, so what happens when (OC) enters his life? TRIS DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS FAN FICTION_

_Hold up.. .are you kicking Tris out of the picture, and making yourself into a character that Four falls in love with?_

_You discarded Tris away just leaving Four? You call yourself a Divergent fan? Sickening. I've said this before in an earlier rant: IF YOU READ THE STORY JUST BECAUSE OF FOUR, THAN YOU'RE NOT A TRUE FAN! Tris is the main base line, the author made the story in her POV so you understand her, ADMIRE her. Four is someone who loves HER for her choices and qualities. There's more to it than just a bad boy with a sensitive side._

_People who read the story just for the sake of imagining Four being with you? I think you have "TMPS"_

_Too Much Peace Serum._

_2) Truth or Dare Divergent fan fictions: amazing, hysterical...but really redundant._

_Almost ALWAYS the same thing. Caleb comes because Tris is dared to tell him she's pregnant with Four's child, and he gets mad at Four._

_Uriah or Zeke get into a drinking contest, or a chocolate cake eating contest._

_Four is asked his real name._

_Have. Some. Originality. I mean, how awesome would it be if Zeke was dared to fight Uriah in a purple panda suit?_

_Boom. There. Original, unheard of. So random that Mind=Blown._

_3) Those fanfiction that have Tris and Four, and the whole gang saying retarded things like "omg! lol!"_

_I face palm myself everytime. I swear, my hand print is on my forehead from doing this so often._

_If Four ever says the abbreviations "OMG!" I would literally punch him in the face and tell him to stop drinking._

_What the hell? Would it kill you to right "Oh my God..." or "Haha"_

_Noo. You have to make the characters sound like teenage girl who ate too much Amity bread._

_4) Eric/Tris, Eric/Peter, Zeke/Tris, Uriah/Tris..._

_First off with Eric/Tris and Peter/Tris: I have complained about this before, and I'll say it again._

_If someone tries to brutally murder you, or put you in a glass tank to drown, and you think it is because they are in love with you..._

_CALL A PSYCHIATRIST._

_Where...how...why...I do not understand. The whole point of the existence of them in the book is to add some rivalry, and danger to the main character._

_Not LOVE._

_Now off to Zeke/Tris or_

_I don't know what world you live in, but in mine a guy and a girl can be JUST FRIENDS._

_Yeah, Zeke and Tris hugged in Insurgent, but they're friends. FRIENDS. My friends hug me, I don't think there's something going on between us._

_Geez, Zeke has a girlfriend. Her name is Shauna. He loves her, even though she may never walk again._

_Now, the most common one: Uriah/Tris_

_Oh boy, I'm gunna get alot of h8..._

_Uriah and Tris are friends, like best friends. So what, they're just different genders. He invited Tris to zip-line. Yeah, because he felt sorry for her with what happened to Edward. They grew close. C'mon, even I have guy friends that help me out, doesn't mean we're secretly in love or anything._

LISTEN TO THESE WONDERFUL THOUGHTS, GUYS!

Okay… so I included some of her rants that I haven't covered yet here. So I'll be good and do it now.

1.

The stories where Tris is completely out of the picture. I totally agree with TheZanyBookworm on this one, because Veronica Roth made Tris the protagonist of Divergent for a reason, and she also made Four her boyfriend for a good cause. So please don't just replace Tris with YOU so that you can get Four… eve if it's just for a story.

Sorry about that, I just ship FourTris so hard.

3. Again, totally agree on this one. Last time I checked, Four is one of those tough guys. Making him say stuff like OMG of IDEK makes him sound like a rainbow fluffy unicorn disguised NOT EVEN DISGUISED as an 18 year old teenage boy.

Shouldn't he be like a really quiet guy who doesn't talk a lot?

Yeah, thought so.

4.

Everything that I'm thinking about is pretty much already on there. So thanks TheZanyBookworm for saving up some of my time.

:D

That's pretty much it for this part. Just remember… the plot is what your story revolves around, so make it different and unique.

:D Wish you all luck!

**:) I hope that what I wrote didn't make me seem too b****y. I just want to help, that's all! **

**Just remember, that I love all fanfictions and I don't hate any of your writing out there. :D **

**LOVE Y'ALL!**

**-Dweedledoo **


	4. Summaries

**Spent a lot of time on this chapter. :D That shows how much I love you guys. **

Summaries-

Yeah, yeah. I know that your summaries can be a real pain in the butt. Y'all know probably that you can only have so many words in your summary and you JUST CAN'T SAY EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY in that little tiny space that you get on the front page of FanFiction. So how do you get people to notice your story?

Easy.

But first, I want to see what R Spark has to say on this topic:

_Summaries can be terrible, but when you see the author actually admitting it? I don't know about you, but I get annoyed._

_Have you seen the back of actual published books? They don't say "Sorry, but this summary sucks." Or, "read on for the rest of the summary!"_

_No?_

_I thought so._

_Here's a question: Why would you read something that says "Read for more" when well, you don't know why you're reading it! You aren't reading it because you'll read just anything, you're reading it because the plot sounded interesting, right?_

_And if you're not, I ask you: How do you pick your books, then?_

_It's like saying, "Hey! My book is total crap, but you should read it anyways, because it has more stuff inside!"_

_My Response: No, just no._

_If you honestly suck at summaries, get a Beta to fix it! Just don't put the words "Summary sucks" in your summary! There's no point of even doing that._

_It has to have enough information in the summary, so people know what on Earth they're reading about!_

It's true. No one really wants to know that you're really bad at writing summaries. Instead of writing stuff like: Summary sucks, but please read and give it a shot! Well… that's not really gonna convince me that your story is good.

You guys wanna know what's even worse?

When you say to give it a shot.

Because that makes me have pretty high expectations… seeing as maybe your weakness is just the summary.

(I posted a chapter already talking about the plot of the actual story. Go check it out if you haven't already!)

If you want some ideas of what you could add to your summary to make it better, try this:

Focus on a really important 'Milestone' in your story.

For example:

Have you ever read one of those stories when Four/Tobias leaves Tris after being really great childhood friends?

If you're doing one of those… well then here is something you could do.

1. Make sure your summary is really bold. I don't mean that you write it in capital letters. No, not that kind of bold. Use strong word choices. Juicy vocabulary. Description always helps!

2. Highlight a really deep thought in your story. I'll give you guys one that I really liked, from INSURGENT: Four's Story by TheZanyBookworm. (I did not know that it was she who wrote this fanfiction, but if you haven't noticed, I quoted her in the last chapter.)

So here it is:

_I wanted to see this girl break, to see how much pressure she can hold, until she shattered. When I found out there was nothing I could do to separate this brave girl from herself, I fell for her-hard. My secrets from the past keep popping up, and they push her farther from me, and she has her own share of mystery for herself. I just hope she loves me enough to let me see them._

See how she doesn't say something like:

(Again, made on the spot) _I know a lot of people have done this but I really wanted to do one too. Sorry I suck at summaries but please don't judge me or hate on me and please just read the story it is better than it sounds!_

No offense to anyone who may do something like that.

But here comes the rant.

You can't really say that you suck at summaries… because you didn't even write one.

Sure, you wrote it in the summary box, and it is in the length that it should be… but last time I checked, a summary SUMMARIZES a story.

If you do that, I'm sorry to say that you have a lot of room for improvement.

There are many things that could be fixed in that situation.

One, you should at least write something about the story, instead of saying that the summary is straight forward with the title.

Two, PLEASE DO NOT SAY THAT THE SUMMARY SUCKS.

Like what R Spark says. No author really says that the summary that they wrote on the back of the book stinks.

The summary should really give you like a kind of cliff-hanger ending so that the reader is pretty much DYING to read the content of your FanFiction.

Your summary is not only a summary to your story, but also to the style of your writing.

If your summary proves to readers that you have no interest in writing the summary, how can I be so sure that your actual writing is good?

So just keep in mind that what you keep as your 'cover' for your story really reflects on everything, ranging from your writing style to the actual themed story itself.

**Yeah! Finally finished this one. Sorry if this chapter may seem really, really mean. I'm not usually like that in person, don't worry! :D = Awkward Tension Breaker. **


	5. Symptoms of a Writer- 1

Symptoms of a Writer- Part One

**YAY! I'm gonna be starting a different kind of category every once in a while: titled "Symptoms of a Writer" as a chapter title. :D Hooray!**

**But before I start, I want to give a shoutout to Guesti who wrote a review about this.**

_**First I have to say that I have a problem with this. You talked about making things different by using AU's and OOC's and whatever. But here you have a problem with alternate pairings. I am personally a real Four/Tris fan, but I have no problem with alternate pairings either.**_

Secondly, you talk about focusing on just Four. This is FANFICTION, if someone wants to focus on Four there is nothing wrong with that. That is why there are so many stories from Four's POV. Tris is the main character in the book, that doesn't mean she has to be the main character in every fanfiction also. Even Veronica Roth was intrigued by Four as a main character, hence her series that is coming out with parts of the book from his POV.

I agree, however, that many people write Four to be entirely too soft, they have no idea how to write a man and if they want to make him sound like a teenage girl they shouldn't write him.

These are my opinions, take them or leave them!

**I really appreciate your review. Really.**

I guess some things have different meanings when you write them.

I will now take the time to re-phrase this:

I don't really have a problem with alternate pairings, but I'm just saying that TheZanyBookworm has a point with her reasoning. It's not that I have anything against them… don't worry!

**Next: Focusing just on Four? I didn't mean that in just focusing on Four. I think my main point was really writing a story so that you can have Four as your "boyfriend" in the story, not just Four's POV. I actually really like the stories with Four's POV, but what I meant was kicking Tris out of the story for sole purposes of wanting Four to yourself.**

Now that can get pretty annoying… (NO OFFENSE.)

Again, I thank you for your review, so I can make my thoughts more clear to coming readers. :) 

**Now, done with explanations.**

So let's get started.

Meeting The (Hateful, Reviewing) Grammar Nazi.

Fine, I'll admit that I am a grammar freak. But I can also be tolerant with your grammar issues (if you have any) if the storyline is good.

Now… let's start with authors and their reactions with reviews regarding these grammar 'notices.'

I've seen some authors who really want people to review. Like, they REALLY, REALLY want opinions on their story from readers.

But the problem is that when it comes to grammar, authors go crazy.

A lot of writers on FanFiction will just stop posting chapters.

That's right, you heard me. Have you ever read one of those stories on FanFiction where you really want the writer to post a new chapter, and when the number of chapters finally changes, you discover that there are like 5 chapters all saying the same thing?

Like: (On the spot, again.) "I really need ur reviews , so ya if u can just tell me plz if u like it or if it's gr8 tht would be gr8!"

And then the next chapter update is like:

"I'm not gonna post any new chappies cuz no1 reviewed…"

And then:

"STOP POSTING F**KING MEAN STUFF AND H8! LIKE SRIOUSLY I'm getting really PISSED OFF and _ (name of the reviewer) I MEAN U WHEN I WRITE THIS I said CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM not just some f**ked up review that's REALLY MEAN. So I'm probably NOT GONNA POST A NEW CHAPTER cuz of all the h8 I'm getting."

Personally, I think that's a bit too overboard.

I think that the reviewer probably just can't understand your writing, and when they write a review, you're just taking what they wrote to a whole different, extreme level.

If you think that this is happening to you as a writer when you are reading a story, then here is something you can do.

Read the review, over and over. Maybe at first it seems like hate, but if you start to understand the true meaning of the review, it could just be constructive criticism.

If people are saying your grammar sucks, then just look at them as a Grammar Nazi.

If you want to write a really good story, then you have to be tolerant with everyone who gives you some feedback on your FanFiction.

Which includes the Grammar Nazi.

I can tell you now that MOST of the readers o FanFiction will stop reading your story if they can't get through the details of your actual story.

Which would lower the amount of good reviews of your written work.

After you read, re-read and re-read again, you might be able to understand what they actually want you to do.

In this case, improve your grammar.

I get it if you just aren't that good with grammar when you're writing, and I can accept that. But that doesn't mean you have to stop writing just because people keep saying that your grammar is horrible.

If that's true, there're only 2 things left that you can do.

One, write your story on a program that has spell-check or proofing check. Whatever you do, don't just ignore those green, blue and red squiggles that appear on your screen under your words. Right click on those squiggles and look at those suggestions on the screen, and pick whichever one makes the most sense to you.

Two, get a beta, and communicate with them. (You can also PM me, since I am not YET a beta- I haven't had the chance to activate my beta-reader status, and I don't have enough time this time of the year to read through all the stories and edit them. But I'm sure that if you PM me, I will get through your story by the end of your day. :D) Ask them to proof read your story, and tell you the part that they don't understand. That could drastically improve your work and allow less hate messages on your review board.

I think that, personally, grammar issues are the main reason that someone would dislike or put hate on your story… since reading reviews myself, that is the prime factor of reviews that show up.

That's it, for now. So PLEASE, if you see a lot of bad reviews regarding grammar on your story, find a chance to get that fixed. You'll also get a good feel on how to write even better for coming stories if you get someone to edit your work!

**Thanks for sticking with me up until now! I would appreciate any rants about **_**my**_** series of rant that you have for me! (And maybe follow my story too? Pretty please? With Dauntless Cake on top? :D)**

**-Dweedledoo **  



	6. Characters

Characters-

**I know, I know. I was supposed to upload this after I added the chapter on the plots. :D Guess it slipped off my mind when I started writing something completely different. Will you forgive me? ;) **

**So here goes nothing. **

This chapter is not about the characters that Veronica Roth created. I repeat; it is NOT.

Well, maybe not directly.

I'm sure some of you have read stories where the author wants to follow the story line of Divergent, but end up changing the character completely.

Like a story that's in Four's POV, and the personalities are 150% IRRELEVANT to Divergent.

I think I'm going to have to bring back point #3 from the chapter about the plots.

_3) Those fanfictions that have Tris and Four, and the whole gang saying retarded things like "omg! lol!"_

_I face palm myself everytime. I swear, my hand print is on my forehead from doing this so often._

_If Four ever says the abbreviations "OMG!" I would literally punch him in the face and tell him to stop drinking._

_What the hell? Would it kill you to right "Oh my God..." or "Haha"_

_Noo. You have to make the characters sound like teenage girl who ate too much Amity bread._

_3. Again, totally agree on this one. Last time I checked, Four is one of those tough guys. Making him say stuff like OMG of IDEK makes him sound like a rainbow fluffy unicorn disguised NOT EVEN DISGUISED as an 18 year old teenage boy._

_Shouldn't he be like a really quiet guy who doesn't talk a lot?_

_Yeah, thought so._

I'll start with Four's character first on fanfiction, and then I'll just do Tris' so you get my point.

* * *

FOUR'S CHARACTER

Probably the most wanted character on FanFiction.

Four is by far NOT a fluffy unicorn. Not at all. Nor is he high on Amity Bread. So PLEASE don't portray him as this.

I totally understand if you WANT him to be a fluffy unicorn, but I HIGHLY DOUBT you're gonna make him THAT OOC.

And by fluffy unicorn, I mean like this:

(On the spot)

_Eric: Stiff, you're paired up with Peter._

_Four: Oh, Eric! I accept your wonderful ideas, but even though I really dislike that, I'm gonna agree with you cause IDEK if I could make a good pairing by myself._

I'll admit: Exaggeration.

But if you look at it like that, cover the name FOUR on the example, I would probably think that Four was replaced by a really bratty girl who is head over heels in love with Eric.

Shocking, I know.

So to summarize this paragraph: WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DRUG FOUR WITH AMITY BREAD.

* * *

TRIS' CHARACTER

Most people get Tris' demeanor really well when writing from different POVs if it's directly Divergent in another POV.

But I think the hardest part for some writers is writing Tris as a High School student.

You know, get it that writing something completely different can be a pain in the butt.

Because you are not 100% sure how she would probably react in that case.

But that's why you NEED OOC and AU for that, because you're only using that character as a baseline.

Then, after that, you can start creating your own personal touches to Tris, to make her more "high-school friendly."

In general, keep Tris' Divergent personality, but add a bit (BUT NOT TOO MUCH!) of OOC-ness to make her suitable for High-School situations.

She's pretty much your average high school student with stats marked a bit higher for her Divergent-ness.

* * *

**This chapter was pretty bad... is it just me or do you feel as if my arguments are senseless? Oh well. It's out there now, but if you think so, please review for me, or PM me. I really want to know if it's any good or if what I have to say is really bad, or doesn't make sense.**

**It was also pretty short... I'll grant you with another update today to make up for it!**

**-Dweedledoo**


	7. Symptoms of a Writer- 2

Symptoms of a Writer-2

**And here, I grant you your second update today. Cheers!**

**Oh yeah, and thanks for getting me to 4 reviews! I would really appreciate it if you could keep those coming!**

**Just to let you know, I think from now on I will respond to all of the reviews sent to me. On here. In the Author's note.**

**By the way, I BRING FORTH GOOD NEWS! Decided I can squeeze in some time to become a beta-reader. :) So send me your stories if you want me to read them over. I won't bite, don't worry. Looking forward to seeing your FanFictions!**

**Also, go check out the new one-shot I posted: Entitled "Shattered Heart." Hope you like it! And reviews, constructive criticism and hate are always welcome.**

**So, enough fuss. Let's get started!**

The "Famous Star" Wannabe

In this chapter, I don't mean to be insulting. I really don't, but I'll be referring to these people as Star Wannabes.

So. I'll start off by summing up what a Star Wannabe actually is.

Job Description:

1. Loves, loves, loves complements.

2. Absolutely detests criticism.

3. Cannot tolerate with reviews that can help you improve your work.

4. Doesn't post any new chapters until they get a certain number of reviews.

This can get pretty annoying, right?

I, personally, can't stand these authors.

I mean, you want your story to get popular. And that's a perfectly normal thing. But when you're refusing reviews that aren't compliments?

It's not like you really have a reputation on FanFiction. The process is pretty much: You read, you like, you compliment; or something like: You read, you don't like, you add criticism that is constructive, you see that your author now hates you when you review, then you see a new story, don't bother to look at the author. Then (continued) you read, you like, you compliment.

If you're a writer, and you are currently following the lines of the "Job Description" , then you need to PLEASE, stop.

Because that's not a good sign.

Time to quote someone, now:

_The power hungry tyrants: The authors who set the number of reviews for each chapter. Example:_

_Author On New Chapter: Oh my gosh! So many reviews! But I'm such a goddamn attention-seeker that I want more. If I don't get 109 more reviews, you won't get more of my AH-MAZING CHAPTERS!_

_Me: Fudgin' annoying author..._

_Fanfiction: OMG! I HAVE to review on her chapter so she updates!_

_See?_

_Or this one, with a conversation of this people:_

_Me: Why do you do this readers?_

_Them: Cuz, I want more fans and thus more fame._

_Me: *rolls eyes* Are you that pathetic? You want FORCED FAMES?_

_Them: Yep, that's it._

_Me: You-_

_Them: Yeah. I'm a mothafudga! Heard this already._

_Yep, that's how I imagine it._

_My point is..._

_I hate it when authors do that. Do they want to be called someone who's rude enough to get 100's of reviews and yet, ask for more? Then threaten to stop the chapters if she doesn't get them?_

_It's not bad to make a personal goal, what you want. But those annoying, rude, and bratty pricks of authors threaten to stop the whole stories just so they can get FORCED reviews?_

_No._

_These are my worst author types yet. I don't often read author's notes, so I have no idea of I favourited an author who does this, but if I did...It's only because of the story I do anyways._

_But authors like this need to stop._

_How would you like it if Veronica Roth herself said she wouldn't write Allegiant until 40 million people read her books (Just examples, nothing real)? How would you like it if Rick Riordan refused to publish the House of Hades until 50 million of his books were published?_

_No._

_It would kill anybody's inner fangirl/fanboy._

_It's the same with Fanfiction._

_There's no difference, and they'll never change._

_That's it._

Pretty much proves my point, right?

Yes, it does.

And whenever this happens, it makes me sad, because I end up thinking of those millions of people on the net who actually like the actual content of your story, but can't review because of who knows why…

You know, some people really want to see what's gonna happen next, especially if you ended with a cliff hanger!

Like me.

I think slightly below half of the stories on FanFiction end like that, and then the entire story goes on Hiatus.

SERIOUSLY? O.o

Not cool.

I mean, just because you don't like your reviews, doesn't mean you should stop writing your story!

Go out there and fulfill your wonderful passion for writing.

Most people now don't even care about writing, and finding a good writer is really hard, nowadays.

So keep writing, despite the sucky comments that you're getting because of your story. Just ignore those airheaded people and follow your dreams.

Okay, moving on.

The next point is possibly even sadder than the 1st three points that I mentioned.

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GONNA HOLD UP YOUR WRITING UNTIL YOU GET 100 FREAKING REVIEWS?!

That turned out harsher than I expected… Sorry about that. ;)

But what I say write is what I mean. That's just really low, man, really low.

Have any of you readers/writers seen nigahiga's video on YouTube, titled: "Most Annoying People on the Internet?" If you haven't, I beg you to go see it right now. It will make what I have to say much easier to relate to.

…After watching the video later…

Okay, so remember the part about the attention w***e? That's pretty much what I think of when I see authors who write stuff like: _I'm not going to be updating this story any more until I get at least 25 more reviews, because I don't feel like you guys like my story :'(._

Translation: I want more compliments, or you're not going to find out what happens next.

Pathetic, just pathetic.

I mean, if you want compliments, then maybe you should use criticism you find on your story to help actually IMPROVE your work. Isn't that why you're on FanFiction? If you're gonna sink that low to write stories just so you get complimented, than please stop.

Writing is a sacred art, not something you use to become popular on the net.

So if you want to become a really good writer, then I "kindly suggest to you" that you patch up your writing to get better, re-read, and more importantly, re-write. If people say your story is boring, then add a plot twist. If they say it makes no sense, then explain it in an author's note. If someone says that there's a problem with a solution, go back and fix it, or find another solution.

But don't quit writing!

**Thanks again so much for reading. :D Again, hope I wasn't too harsh. Reviews, hate, and constructive criticism is always welcome, and I hope that I can get some advice or suggestion on what I can do to make things better, or something I can do as an idea you want from my opinion! E.g. If you want me to do a chapter on Author's Notes (How they should be written) or something you think gets on your nerves when a writer does something you don't really like. **

**So click that little review button down there, or PM me! **

**I would really appreciate it too, if you could maybe follow me/my story?**

**Oh yeah, one more thing. Be sure to check out my new One-Shot: Shattered Heart.**

**I might also be making another FanFiction: One of those ones where Tris and her friends end up reading Divergent… those are pretty cool and I don't see a lot of people doing them.**

**Maybe I'll make a series for those… including Insurgent and Allegiant… When it comes out!**

**I'll also add a part of my one-shot here, right now, so you can see if you want to read the rest:**

_**My family.**_

_**I run, racking my brain for some kind of information that could let me know where the safe house that contains my family is.**_

_**And I remember. The drill that we learned at school if the Abnegation is ever under attack.**_

_**The Prior and Eaton safe house was in the basement of the only abandoned building in the Abnegation sector.**_

_**I wade my way through the sea of Dauntless, until I reach the deserted path towards the safehouse.**_

_**My fist finds its way towards the ratty, wooden door, and I knock.**_

_**Once, twice, six times.**_

_**And the door creaks open.**_

_**I am met with a pair of grey-blue eyes just like mine, but this pair pops out of the misty, dark room that surrounds them. They are matched up with a face I only know so well.**_

_**My mother's.**_

_**As soon as she meets my eyes, she cautiously opens the door a little further, enough to let some light flood into the gloomy area.**_

_**Mother ushers me into the basement and I am greeted with the familiar faces of my father, Caleb, and Marcus.**_

_**Marcus. **_

_**So… do you like it? Please review for me once you read through the whole thing, pretty please? **_

_**I'll let you guys know when I start writing the other FanFiction for the Divergent Reading with the gang.**_

**Okay, 'nuff said. Goodbye, for now! **

**-Dweedledoo**


	8. Symptoms of a Writer- 3

**HI HI HI HI. I'm back. Sorry I haven't been updating for a while, but I was on a road trip across Canada. Yes, I'm Canadian. :D GO CANADA! Anyways, I wasn't on from the 15****th**** to the 26****th****, and today is the only day I can update until the 1****st**** of September. Why? Cause I'm going camping with my Youth Group and taking part in the 30 Hour Famine from the 30****th**** to the 1****st****. **

**Oh, and one more thing. Keep the reviews coming. I guess I will not be doing a "Reading Divergent" FanFic, so that's out of the question. But I do have an idea coming up! Thanks for all of the constructive criticism coming, it's really helping. **

**So until then, the next section!**

Symptoms of a Writer- 3

How to get Positive Feedback

This chapter is, again, about writers, but I guess this one isn't really about what authors are doing that gets to readers nerves. It's more like, an improvement chapter.

What a reader really wants to see is:

1. A connection that can be easily made into their lives

2. DESCRIPTION.

And 3. Updates.

Let's start with point number ONE.

Lots of stories can be pretty hard to understand, seeing as it is a made up kind of storyline, with a world that probably no one can relate to.

For example: With Tris being a teen. But not a typical teen with daily life struggles. A teen who is perfectly happy, but you don't really get to know her that well in the story. And then the author makes her the main character.

Now to the good side.

I have NEVER, EVER in my life seen something like that on FanFiction. Pretty much 90% of the authors here writing Fanfictions for the Divergent Trilogy make all the characters 99.99% relatable to the readers. Especially if the stories are Modern Day stories.

See, AUs are probably easier to write, because you are probably writing it in modern day. The day you are living in right now.

But when writing in Veronica Roth's dystopian universe?

Not quite as simple.

But you can still make your story effective.

How? You just have to really understand the world that revolves around Divergent.

With the Factions, how the society functions, the dangers of being Divergent, and everything ever possibly assumed while reading the first 2 books.

Yes, I am very, extremely excited for Allegiant, too.

That's not the point, though.

If you want to understand the dystopia that Veronica Roth created, read the books,

And re-read. Keep repeating the process until you can answer any trivia about the books thrown at you.

NEXT POINT.

May I please have a page breaker here?

Aaah, that's wonderful. Thanks, .

Back to the 2nd point.

This one really relates to the first point. Why? Because if you want your story to be relatable, readers have to understand CLEARLY your storyline.

This involves description, because no one really wants to read a vague story.

But seriously, how is it possible to be so vague with so many words?

Exactly my point.

BUT HAVE NO FEAR! Here are some tips to help you with your descriptions!

Here comes another list:

1. Re-read your story. See if you can understand your story really well, but ignoring the fact that you already know what's happening.

Maybe that on was a little hard. So skip the ending part.

2. Get a BETA to read your story. If they can't understand it, at least you won't be getting virtually yelled at through the internet, and you can improve your story at the same time.

That point is probably the best idea.

3. If you don't want a beta, you can probably send/pm your story to an author already on FanFiction. I'm sure most of them would be glad to help!

And finally:

4. (Optional.) You can send it to me! I am an active BETA now… :) Or you can just PM your story to me.

I'm more than happy to help!

Okay, now down to the last point.

This is probably the best thing that you can do to get positive feedback.

PLEASE do not just leave your story there until you feel like you have gotten enough feedback on your story.

Just update.

So what if you can't get 10 reviews after you posted your first 3 chapters?

I only got 2 after my 3rd chapter.

But I'm still writing, aren't I?

You'll get reviews, don't worry. If you don't get nice ones at first, look on the bright side. At least you will know what you can change to GET positive comments, right?

So think about those points for now.

And let your imagination go wild!

**That chapter is out of the way now.**

**Go check out my oneshot: Shattered Hearts, please? I would really appreciate comments or reviews for that story… And I hope you like it!**

**Keep the reviews coming! If you want to give a suggestion for this story, I would really appreciate it!**

**And I thank all of those who hated my story. Because I get it now why it's bad, so I can change it.**

**And thanks so much to everyone else who gave me encouragement to continue! **

**K.I.T. and look out for a new story that will be coming out. It's called "The Lucky One" and it will probably be posted sometime in early September! Probably will not be a One-shot, but I hope I will be able to hold up my procrastination habits and update a lot on that story.**

**I'll be back!**

**-Dweedledoo**


	9. Symptoms of a Writer- 4

**Sorry for the late update. School kind of got in the way, and I feel really bad about not updating… D: But I'm okay, and I will update more regularly now!**

Symptoms of a Writer- 4

The Overlooker

I see this one a lot. Especially on FanFiction because it really seems as if you don't need to do it.

What am I talking about?

The Overlooker.

Also meaning the one person (or many people) who don't revise their ideas.

And I'm not saying that if you just have one mistake, then it's something you need to change. That's not true, because we all make mistakes.

But honestly, if you actually look at it, you can see the difference between making mistakes, and just being carefree.

Here's what it would look like:

1. Making Mistakes=_Tris jumpd off the ledge of the building, while landing softly on the net._

2. Being Carefree=_trice jump of the lege uf te bildig, wil lading sofly on the net._

Point one, exaggeration. (I tend to exaggerate a lot, but please just go along with it, for now. :D)

But you can kind of get the idea.

The thing is, when you are writing, you try at first to get your ideas down. But if you don't revise it, then you're writing level goes down a couple notches.

Which means it won't be as good.

Which means your story will not be as clear.

Personally, if I clicked on a FanFiction, and found 5 lines of the 2nd example that I wrote, then I would just close the tab that it was in. Probably.

Because already, the first few words are inaccurate, and they make no sense.

Like, honestly, who the heck is trice?

And what is a lege?

Yeah, you get the image now.

Not something that I would really want to read.

But the first one, I would go on with the story. And read the whole chapter.

Why? Because I can actually understand whatever I am reading.

Back to the point.

Revision, as you can see, is a very important process in your writing.

Without it, your work will probably be very dull.

Here's some advice:

Just write down your ideas. And then, just leave it there for a day.

The next day, come back to it! No one's forcing you to update every day of your life.

When you go back to your story, don't just stick it online. Read through it, again. And again, and again.

Until you can almost remember it by heart.

Then, read it out loud. That can usually help you to find errors in your writing, or it the sentence sounds funny.

And finally, this one is probably the hardest of them all.

Don't be too prideful.

Whatever you do, stay away from respecting your work so much, that you think whatever you jot down is already pitch perfect.

And you only accept compliments.

As I've said before, writing is a sacred art, and you must respect it.

Don't just toss something to others, that may not even make sense to the reader, and let it stand there to attract butterflies, or something.

FanFiction is a place where you can SHARE what you've wrote, and get feedback on it.

But if you want it to be reviewed, it has to be read. And if you want it to be read, it has to make sense.

There, easy as that.

Now, go back to your wonderful story! I wish you luck in improving it, and I hope these tips helped!

**AAAND… DONE. Sorry that was so short. But I do have good news for you! The Lucky One will be posted in just a matter of days! I'll give you the summary right now: **_**He was the one who left us, the first to leave us. To go to Dauntless, and be brave. To escape from the secret horrors. But I will go and seek him. Soon, very soon. Tobias and Beatrice were best friends when they were little. They still are, but Beatrice must go out and find him, out in the dangers of being brave. **_

**Summary might change, but I will let you know if it does.**

**I appreciate ideas for the new story, or review for this one!**

**Thanks,**

**Dweedledoo**


	10. Intros, Re-read

**Guess what? New story is out, now. It's called "The Lucky One," and here is the summary:**

_**He was the one who left us, the first to leave us. To go to Dauntless, and be brave. But I will go and seek him. Soon, very soon.  
Tobias and Tris were best friends when they were little. They still are, but Tris must go out and find him, out in the dangers of being brave.**_

**By the way, it's rated T. **

**GO CHECK IT OUT!**

**And now, on with the chapter.**

Intros, Re-read-

Okay, I get it. Everyone makes mistakes, and I made mistakes myself while writing this. So now, every once in a while, I will go back to re- read what I wrote before and make an analysis about it.

Let's start with Chapter 1:

_So many of you know that probably the most important part of your FanFic is the intro. (Of course… the summary is also very important.)_

_But the intro is a very important part never the less. Know why? Because the intro has to be able to captivate the reader into wanting to read more into your story._

I still stand strong for what I wrote here. 'Cause pretty much what happens here, is like this:

1. Read the summary.

2. Like the summary.

3. Open up the story file, and

4. READ THE INTRO TO SEE IF IT'S ANY GOOD.

To be honest here, I have read a couple of FanFictions that start like this. AS A 1ST CHAPTER TO INTRODUCE.

"_Beatrice was living a dull life. She wanted to change factions. But she didn't want to leave her home. But also, life was too boring here…"_

Aaaand… you probably don't want to read the rest. Because it's just a battle in her mind based on the boring life in Abnegation.

If I were reading that, this is my reaction:

SKIP TO THE NEXT STORY.

I MOST LIKELY won't even continue reading to see if it gets any better. Honestly.

This kind of revolves around the next point that I wrote down a couple months ago:

_For instance, I have read fanfictions that have beginnings that are really boring, because it's all explaining about important roles in the Abnegation Government, and blah, blah, blah._

_So not a very good way to start off a fanfiction, because a lot of readers will be sitting there, falling asleep just on the first paragraph._

_Or maybe they'll just be skipping the whole beginning, wanting to get to the more interesting parts._

See what I mean?

Okay, moving on.

_Believe me, (coming from a reader…) another way not to want to read a certain part is when you are just repeating the same thing that is happening. Actually… let me rephrase that. When you are writing like 5 paragraphs (Okay so maybe that was a bit exaggerated…) about one certain thing that is happening._

Again, pretty much what I said before.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

No one really wants to see or read the same thing over and over again.

Now do you get my point?

Here's the example that I wrote when I talked about that previously:

_Example: (I'm making this up on the spot… and this is an AU example.) Tris woke up on a very early morning for the first day of school. She went through her morning routine, and went to her closet to decide on what she was going to wear. First, she tried a grey baggy ensemble of a t-shirt and long pants, but she thought that the color was too dull. Then, she decided to try on some brightly colored dresses and 6-inch high heels, but she couldn't walk in them, so then…_

_Anyways, you get the point. It's really boring reading something that JUST DOESN'T REALLY MATTER._

I still stay true to these words. You can KIND of relate to that now, when you read the repeated sentence that I demonstrated earlier.

Pretty annoying, right?

_So in general, if you want people to really love your writing, then make it interesting. One of the boldest parts in your FanFic SHOULD be the beginning. Why? Because that's one of the first things your readers will be reading. To be honest, I don't think that any of your readers will be starting on the 5th paragraph to start your story._

^^^^^ You should really listen to this part. It's really more or less common sense, right? Nobody starts in the middle of the story to start off, then read the ending, and the first paragraphs first.

Right?

Hope this chapter was clarified to everyone out there.

Dweedledoo


	11. The Emo

**Hi again to all those people who are still reading this story and have stuck to me this whole time. I know I haven't been updating a lot, but that's because I have been Beta-Reading a lot lately. Luckily, I've got a four-day long weekend ahead of me, so lot's of updating there!**

**I was thinking of actually starting a new idea for a Divergent Fanfiction. Hoping actually to do a No-war story, (I know, overused, like a lot,) or a Divergent from Christina's POV. You know, her take on everything.**

**If you haven't already, you should really go check out my other stories: The Lucky One, and Everything Has Changed. I was hoping to get some reviews on those, so I can make my writing better too.**

**FLAMES ARE WELCOME.**

**Now, without further ado, here's the next chapter: Chapter whatever the number is. **

Character Study- The Emo

Starting from a different subject now. I have noticed that a lot of writers tend to focus on solely one trait when writing a character.

Let's start off with the Emo.

The Emo is a typical, gloomy teen. The ones that are always found moping around, feeling depressed, and wearing ONLY BLACK. AND BLACK AND BLACK MAKEUP.

So in other words, completely camouflaged in the night.

One of the most common ways to illustrate the Emo is as follows:

"Tris was never a good kid. She would hide in the stalls every day, crying over everything. People say that she overreacts a bit too much over the smallest things, but…"

Okay, you get it.

Honestly, you'll really think that this girl was a living dead. Ad you would also think she was a bit stupid, seeing as she is crying over every little thing.

I understand if what you're trying to do is to show that she's been hurt before, and she's uncertain about her life now, but you don't have to make her THAT EMO.

Instead, try making her uncertain towards more logical things.

(Maybe that sounded too Erudite?)

But what I mean is, make her more emotional towards really deep things that could actually reflect on her past, or whatever terrors haunt her.

For Example, If you're trying to say that she's scared that Peter will come and kidnap her again, then make her shy away from Peter, Jokes about kidnapping, of people who have a grudge against her.

Makes much more sense than her being scared of doing her homework, right?

Exactly my point.

**These kinds of chapters, in my mind, will be a bit shorter, because there are many different kinds of characters portrayed, but not much to say about them. So I'm sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but that just means I'll be able to update with more time instead of rambling on and on and on about the same thing where I could just kind of summarize it. **

**THX!**

**Dweedledoo**


	12. Author's Note, Taken Down Oct 22

**To my amazing readers,**

** Hey. Don't worry, I'm not quitting the story. But I do have an announcement. **

**I'm going on a trip for the next 6 days to the northern region of my wonderful cold country. (Canada. Yes, I'm Canadian.) I will not be able to post anything during that time, so I would like you to know in advance what I am doing. **

**When I come back, I will probably not be updating as frequently. I will try to do the best I can. But here's the good news. **

**I'm going to be posting a few one-shots, and maybe put it in a collection. MAYBE. And, I'm going to do the following. **

**1. Update each story at the same time. (I know this isn't a very satisfying thing, but it gives me the time I need to write and edit each chapter, and you will have a lot more to read each time I do update.)**

**2. Hopefully, I will write longer chapters. Like a lot longer. **

**3. Each group update will not take longer than 4-5 days. Guaranteed. **

**4. I will most DEFINITELY be starting a new story. And this one will be awesome, but it's a surprise. **

**That's all for now, but I will be back in time to get my hands on a copy of Allegiant. I would never miss the release of the last book with the rest of my fandom.**

**This will be removed on October 22****nd****. 2013. For the release, I will be updating very long chapters for you all as a celebration for Allegiant!**

**Until then,**

**Olivia**


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